The present invention relates generally to information retrieval, and more particularly to automatic gleaning of semantic information in social networks.
Information searching and retrieval are powerful functions provided by the Internet. Standard search engines may efficiently and accurately retrieve specific objective information (such as, for example, the atomic mass of plutonium, the melting point of indium, the capital of Denmark, and the location of Stonehenge). Much of the information which users search for on the Internet, however, is subjective; for example, evaluation of restaurants, rating of hotels, and lists of interesting sites to visit in Sweden. Subjective information is by nature ill-defined, and information searches need to be approached cautiously. Recommendations for restaurants and hotels, for example, abound on the World Wide Web: online magazines, forums, and blogs are popular sources. For a specific individual, however, much of this information may not be useful. One issue is the trustworthiness of the source of the information; for example, a restaurant owner may publish a glowing review of his own restaurant. A significant issue, however, is that personal tastes may vary widely from one individual to another. Recommendations from a connoisseur frequenting 4-star restaurants are of little relevance to someone hunting for a good pizza joint (and vice-versa). The overall context of a query and response is an important factor when searching for relevant information.
Social networking sites, with millions of members from around the globe, may serve as rich information sources, especially for subjective information. Specialized groups may potentially serve as focussed information sources. To find an answer to a query for subjective information, it is often helpful for a member seeking the information to directly contact other members who may be knowledgeable in the subject. Direct contact is advantageous since interactive discussion may be needed to clarify the information being sought and to establish the background of the member supplying the information. Broadcasting a query to all members of a social network is inefficient and, in general, prohibited by social networking sites. What are needed are method and apparatus for efficiently identifying members of a social network who may be sources of relevant information.